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moist

(moist)

adj. moist·er, moist·est

1. Slightly wet; damp: a moist sponge; a dog's moist nose.

2. Humid: the moist gulf air.

3. Characterized by considerable rainfall; rainy: a moist climate.

4. Juicy or succulent; not dried out: Basting keeps the turkey moist in the oven.

5. Tearful: moist eyes.

[Middle English moiste, from Old French, alteration (influenced by Latin musteus, juicy) of Vulgar Latin *muscidus, alteration of Latin mūcidus, moldy, from mūcus, mucus.]

moistly adv.

moistness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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